| Privet Mock Olive | |
|---|---|
| Mount Imlay, Australia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Oleaceae |
| Genus: | Nestegis |
| Species: | N. ligustrina |
| Binomial name | |
| Nestegis ligustrina (Vent.) L.A.S.Johnson |
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| Synonyms | |
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Nestegis ligustrina, known as The Privet Mock Olive or Silkwood, is a plant in the olive family, found in south eastern Australia. Growing in and near rainforests south of Monga National Park, and into Victoria and the island state of Tasmania.[1] The specific epithet ligustrina refers to the Privet, which it resembles.[2]
A shrub or small tree, up to 16 metres tall and a trunk diameter of 80 cm. It features dull, hairless leaves, 3 to 10 cm long, 10 to 25 mm wide. Leaf stems are purple in colour, 2 to 5 mm long. Greenish yellow flowers form on racemes from the leaf axils, from January to April. Relatively large fruit mature from summer to Easter, up to 10 mm in diameter. White, or colours between pink to dark purple.